COVENTRY City Council stressed today that if any new investor in the Butts Park Arena wanted to change existing plans for the site a fresh planning application would have to be submitted.

Nigel Clews, the city council's head of property management, said that the land at the Arena had been allocated for use as a sports facility.

"The city council is committed to safeguarding the site," he said. " It has been earmarked as a major sports facility and as we showed when the rugby club had to move from Coundon Road, we are committed to providing a site for them."

However, Mr Clews also confirmed to the Evening Telegraph that the rugby club has still not been granted a lease for the ground by Butts Park Ventures, the company owned by Keith Fairbrother which built the Arena.

This has led to former rugby club director Ted Stocker expressing his concerns for its future.

Mr Stocker resigned from Coventry in 2003 after a disagreement with Mr Fairbrother.

He said: "I am still worried that the club has no lease. It means the club has no assets.

"It is very disappointing that having negotiated an agreement with the council that the rugby club would be safe for ever and a day with a secure lease, it's position appears to be no more secure than it was 18 months ago."

The lease was due to be transferred on completion of the first phase of the development, but access to the site has still not been carried out in accordance with planning permission.

Mr Fairbrother said he expected the lease to be assigned to the rugby club this summer.

"There is a clear obligation to give a 125-year lease to the rugby club on the stadium within the site at zero rent," he said.

"The development of the front access will be completed along with the main (Butts) road works currently in progress. Council contractors will do that at our expense and a £500,000 bank bond is in place to cover the cost.

"When the work is done and the lease is assigned it will ringfence the club and is an irrevocable undertaking."